WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.05 | 03 September 2021

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome again to the Wakatipu High School newsletter, with my piece again dominated by Covid this week.

Attendance in remote teaching and learning has been very good (and unsurprisingly, actually much higher than if we were physically at school) and our thanks to parents who have been supporting that. Please see Mrs Hiestand’s piece on attendance below - including how parents can view their student’s attendance in online classes on the Portal. Attendance and engagement in online classes is important as our education is continuing, and students who do not attend classes will be missing learning and be behind when we return to school.

Related, the ‘Lockdown LE Reports’ went on the Portal yesterday. We do hope that these are useful to parents in terms of giving them information on their student’s attendance and engagement with their learning in lockdown. As per the email which was sent re the LE Reports, we know that there may be reasons why some students may not be attending or engaging with online learning as we would normally expect and parents should use their judgement re what they do with the LE Report, but please do get in touch with subject teachers, Kaiarahi, Deans or Guidance Counsellor as appropriate if you need support.

Below are several sections re school and NCEA exams which include links to student and parent guides to remote teaching and learning. They are a great place to start if you have questions or concerns re online learning and expectations. Re this, we feel our timetable offers a good balance of teaching and learning in the mornings and flexibility in the afternoons for students to do their independent learning as well as exercise, family time and other activities for their wellbeing (and re wellbeing, see Grace Hall’s wise words in the Lead Prefect section below).

A couple of points to note re above - due to a power outage associated with Phase 2, the Portal will be down from 9pm tonight until 6pm on Sunday evening; and the exams and NCEA sections below are very important for senior students and parents - please do read through them.

Wellbeing is important at this time and again we have included our Covid Support page below with a range of school, community and other supports available for families and individuals (to click on the links, download the PDF sheet).

Like many people, we will be watching closely on Monday to see if an Alert Level change is announced - if there is important information re that I will email out on Monday evening.

Two more things impacted by Covid:

1. Phase 2 - work had to stop in Level 4, and is underway at a reduced rate now in Level 3 which has had an impact on the project. As I flagged earlier this term, as a school our real Phase 2 pinch was scheduled for the start of Term 4 - when we were only scheduled to have seniors at school for two weeks before exam leave. With NCEA exams moving back two weeks this has changed and we are still to work through the implication of this, we will keep you posted.
2. Year 9 Journeys - scheduled for the end of term, have unfortunately had to be cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid. We need to be in Level 1 to run these trips, and need a high degree of certainty to do so. Preparations for Branches continue.

On a completely different and much happier note it was amazing to see recent ex-student Jess Blewitt get 8th place in the elite women’s downhill at the MTB world championships in Italy last weekend - incredible. Hot off the press, another ex-student, Curtis McGrath just won gold in the 200m kayak sprint at the Paralympic Games - also amazing!

Well, another week in lockdown done. We do know that there are the full range of experiences of this for families and students and we hope that you are doing ok; we’ve got our fingers crossed for a Level change announcement on Monday. As above, do contact us if you need support and see the Covid Support page below. The wonderful weather continues for the weekend, I hope you are able to get out and enjoy it in Level 3 :).

Steve Hall
Principal

Covid-19 Support

The Covid-19 Support and Wellbeing information sheet below contains active links to contacts and additional resources from various local and national organisations who can help. Please download the PDF document to access the links.

Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group was set up in response to the uncertainty that Covid 19 brings and the subsequent community-wide mental health impacts.  Te Hau Toka hopes to build awareness of services that are available, connect people with the support they may need and help them to stay well.

Te Hau Toka has put together this ‘traffic light’ guide (designed to be folded into a brochure)  for looking after your wellbeing.  It covers tips for what to do in an immediate mental health crisis (red), extra support (orange), and keeping well (green).  

Attendance

If a student is ill or unable to attend their online classes normal attendance processes apply. Please ring the school or email attendance@wakatipu.school.nz.

It is good for the teachers to know that a student is ill or an explained absence. There is a lot happening in many family ‘bubbles’ in this highly uncertain time. Please communicate with us so we can support your student in the best way possible.We have many different ways we can approach supporting students learning.

Parents and Guardians can still view student attendance via the Portal (same link and password school sends for reports). 

We will follow up on patterns of absence in the interest of supporting students’ learning. We would strongly encourage parents and guardians to look at your student’s attendance and discuss any absence with them.

If you have any questions regarding attendance, please email the Kaiarāhi, subject teacher or Dean.

School Exams and Assessments, and Remote Learning

School Exams
Provided we are back at school (and in Alert Level 2) over the next week or two, we are looking to run an abbreviated version of the school exams in Week 8 on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 September. See below for the School Exam Timetable during which time, senior students will be on ‘exam leave’. A number of Learning Areas have indicated that they will be able to run their 'school exam' in normal Timetabled classes, either in Week 8 or Week 9, so if an exam is not listed on the timetable below, students will want to discuss this further with their respective teachers. Net NZ and Te Kura exams will also be run in Week 8.
2021 Senior School Exams September

Internal Assessment Calendars
It is possible that some of the internal assessment deadlines have changed too, so please ensure students review the Internal Assessment Calendars below.
Level 1 Internal Assessment Calendar
Level 2 Internal Assessment Calendar
Level 3 Internal Assessment Calendar

Student Guide to Remote Learning
We appreciate that Lockdown and remote teaching and learning may be sub-optimal for students' wellbeing and learning, but there are some things that students and parents can do to support their students with both their wellbeing and learning. See below for some ideas for students and parents.
Student Guide to Remote Learning
Parent Guide to Remote Learning 

NCEA Exams and Learning Recognition Credits

NCEA Exams
The end of year NCEA exams have been pushed back two weeks and will now begin on Monday 22 November and finish on Tuesday 14 December. This means that Term 4 will have closer to four weeks of classes. Click here to see the new timetable for EoY NCEA Exams.

Learning Recognition Credits (LRC)
NZQA has set out the criteria for NCEA students to be eligible for Learning Recognition Credits (LRC) in 2021. The LRC are similar to last year but will only come into play for schools that have been "disrupted by Alert Level 3 and/or Level 4" for 20 school days or more. IF we return to school (and Alert Level 2) on Wednesday 8 September, students will have had 15 days of 'disruption due to Alert Level 3/4', so WHS students will not be eligible for any LRC. IF we return to school (and Alert Level 2 on Wednesday 15 September, LRC's would kick into action (see excerpt below). NB at this time senior students should not be expecting to receive LRCs.

For every 5 credits a student earns towards their NCEA through assessment, they would be entitled to one extra Learning Recognition Credit to acknowledge the disruption to their learning. Students undertaking NCEA Level 1 would be eligible for up to a maximum of 10 additional credits, while those at Levels 2 or 3 would be eligible for up to a maximum of 8 additional credits.

For Certificate Endorsements, this would mean achieving 46 credits at Merit or Excellence level, instead of the usual 50. Course Endorsements would require 12 credits at Achieved or Merit or Excellence level in a course, rather than 14 – though students would still need to achieve at least 3 credits from external assessment and 3 from internal assessment (where these requirements usually apply).

To be awarded University Entrance, students would need to achieve 12 - rather than 14 - credits in each of 3 University Entrance Approved Subjects. Students would still need to attain NCEA Level 3 and meet literacy and numeracy requirements.

Writing success at the Dan Davin Literary Awards

Two of our young writers have achieved amazing success at this year's Dan Davin Awards, which support creative writing in Southland.

Fineen Hingston, Year 13, won the Senior section with her story Time and Tide. Judge Paula Morris described the story as "an excellent example of an expert grasp on tone and timing."

Daphne Ricketts, Year 10, came second in the Junior section with her story A Perpetual Journey.

Congratulations to these two wordsmiths on this impressive achievement. More about the awards can be read in the Stuff article. To view Fineen's story, see link below.

Ms J Smart
HoLA English & TiC Wakatipu Writers

Join the Student Executive

Applications for the 2023 Student Executive Team are now open! The 2023 Head Students, Lead Prefects, House Leaders and Deputy positions are excellent leadership opportunities, open to current year 11 and 12 students.

Positions available in this application process:

• Head Students x 4 (Yr 13 only, Head x2, Deputy x2)
• Lead Prefects ( Yr 13)
• Sports Prefect 
• Arts and Cultural Prefect 
• Community and Service Prefect 
• Support (Whanaungatanga ) Prefect 
• Academic Prefect
• Environmental Prefect
• STARs Prefect (Peer Support)
• Māori Student Prefect. 
• International Student Prefect.
• Junior School Prefect
• Wellbeing Prefect 
• Head of House (Yr 13 only, 2 positions per House)
• Deputy Head of House (Yr 12 or Yr 13, 2 positions per House)
• Prefects and Student Council positions will be made available later in the year. STARS Peer Mentoring applications will also be available later this term.

Students may hold more than one position.
Year 11 and Year 12 students are invited to apply and must submit their application by 4 pm on Monday 5 September.

Art Competition

Time to get the creative juices flowing! Entries are invited for the WHS School Magazine Cover Art competition. Work will be accepted on any theme. This competition is open to all students and all forms of original visual art: painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography and digital media. Submit your art to get featured on the cover!

• The theme: Open
• The deadline: Friday 24 September 
  

Submit your Artwork: https://forms.gle/japxp7qtQwVGnNFUA 

Lead Prefect Message

Hello WHS,

Though we are still very much ‘bubbled’, I think it’s safe to say that with the arrival of level 3, spring has definitely followed! Make sure to get outside and soak up this lovely weather as we’re forecasted to get some rain next week! 

With the ongoing demand to keep up with schoolwork, it’s so important for students to get that fresh air and take a breather. Look after yourselves, set goals, and ensure that you're keeping up to date with your work. 

Here’s some helpful tips from wellplace on continuing to cope with COVID-19:

• Keep your usual routines: If you're working or schooling from home, stick to your usual mealtimes, bedtimes, etc, as structure helps keep us grounded and calm. If you’re not working at all, write a to-do list for each day so you have something to achieve.
• Don’t overwork: Don't forget to clock off as becoming overtired or fatigued isn’t going to help your mental wellbeing or your organisation. Whether you're an employee or the business owner, be careful not to overwork. 
• Eat well: Choose healthy foods that help boost mental health. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; whole grain breads, rice and pastas; and legumes, such as lentils and chickpeas. Keep sugary, salty and foods high in saturated fats to a minimum. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Keep active: Getting exercise can be done in many ways. Head outside - garden, go out for a walk or run, but still keep your distance from others. Search the internet for some yoga, Tai Chi or stretch routines, which can also be calming. 
• Connect: Keep in touch with family and whānau, friends and workmates. Depending on the COVID-19 situation, and people's health, you may need to keep a physical distance. 

Don’t forget to check out the student instagram @wakatipustudents. The leaders are updating it with various polls and questions. We’d love to have your input. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, and a happy fathers day for Sunday. 

Grace Hall 
Whanaungatanga lead prefect

Sports News and Information

Jess Blewitt on the World Stage
Former student Jess Blewitt finished 8th in the Elite Women's Downhill event at the UCI World Mountain Bike Champs in Val di Sole, Italy on Sunday evening. Jess was New Zealand's sole female downhill representative at the World Champs and part of an 18 strong NZ contingent. Jess graduated from WHS at the end of last year and is currently representing YD Racing. Jess is a former ski racer who took up mountain biking in 2018 and has since become the top NZ Women’s downhill rider winning a series of national titles last year. This is an incredible achievement and we are super proud of Jess’ hard work, sacrifices and commitment to her sport and to taking on new challenges. Ka Mauka Whakatipu!

Winter Tournament Week Blues and Sport Cancellations
Over 125 students missed out on the opportunity to represent WHS at Winter Tournament this week. Missing out on competing against other schools, playing, traveling and having fun as a team can be really disappointing. At the moment our student athletes are living in a world where events and sports opportunities are consistently cancelled, which is tough and often heart breaking. Here is an article from Kelly Curr at Sport NZ on navigating this challenging time: 

Alert Level 3 Activity and Sport
Below is the link to check out Sport NZ's Play, Active Recreation and Sport details at Alert Level 3. We hope you have been enjoying this gorgeous weather and keeping active. If you are looking for a way to get started, Matua Brad's physical activity challenges are a fun and varied way to begin.
Play, Active Recreation and Sport

Wonderful Winter Sport Coaches
As the school continues to grow we have more and more students playing sport at WHS which requires more wonderful people giving up their time to coach and manage our sports teams. This year we have had a great crew of coaches and we want to say a MASSIVE thank you to the people below for all that they have done to provide quality sporting experiences and opportunities to our rangitahi. 
Badminton: Mr Rasmussen, Ms Hearn
Basketball: Mr King, Mike Rewi, Callum O’Connell, Mr Nathan, Riley Jones, David Gibson, Tom Neilson, Hayley Gray, Savannah Handevidt, Jesse Heal, Rebekah Harp
Cross Country: Ms Scott, Neville Britton
Football: Steve Henderson, Jamie Whitmarsh, Mr Lowe, Mr Richards, Ms Jermy
Hockey: Will Daughtry, Mrs Loggenberg, Lyn Guilfoyle, Sue Tait, Victoria Robertson, Jonathan Rooney, Cisca McNay, Oliver Battrick, Suzanna Martin, Paige Loggenberg
Netball: Kay O’Connell, Mrs Kemp, Tracy Galbraith, Sue Albrecht, Trish Cody, Sally Bulling, Rebekah Harp, Cordelia Burgess, Cam Murphy, Sasha McLeod, Rachel Middleton, Lisa Murphy, Jessie O’Connell, Mrs Boel, Jorja Frewen, Yu Bin Lee, Grace Hall, Phoebe Wallace, Olivia Read, Bella Archibald, Jett Fa’amelepe, Jess MacDonald, Sydney Kay, Ruby Kirk, Lucy Viggers 
Rugby: Mr Hart, Gary Russell, Steve McIsaac, Mr Hansen, Mr Fleming, John Morrison, Rowan Small, Paul Johnson, Scott Townsend, Richard Bamford, Jock Jeffery, Matt Leach, Mr McIntyre, Mr Gilbert, Mrs Nathan, Mr Rasmussen, Mr Gilbertson
Table Tennis: Mr Richards

Sports Blues Nomination Form
The annual Sports Blues evening will be held on Thursday 28th October. The Blues awards is our opportunity to celebrate sporting excellence and service as a school annually. To begin this process a nomination form needs to be completed. To find out more information please click on the two links below. The nominations are open until 5pm Friday 10th September. Anyone can complete a form, student, parent, coach etc. Results have been collected across the year from various sports and forms will also be sent to coaches. If you are not sure, please complete a form or email lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz. 
2021 Sports Blues Criteria
2021 Sports Blues Nomination Form

Sport NZ’s Athlete Traps and Parent Hacks Webinar
If you missed the Sport NZ Webinar on Athlete Traps and Parenting Hacks: Insight into clean sport parenting from neuroscience and psychology; and are interested in viewing, you can find it by clicking the link below. It is also very useful for coaches.
Sport NZ Webinar on Athlete Traps and Parenting Hacks

Summer Sport is Coming!!!
Watch this space folks! Summer sport is around the corner and there are stacks of opportunities to get involved. Recent Sport NZ data has indicated that there was a decline in participation for rangitahi around the country following last year's lockdown. This was not the case at WHS and we will ensure that it won’t happen again this time. All students who have signed up at the start of year or semester two expo have been added to the relevant google classrooms and mailing lists. As summer sports begin to get organised we will communicate with you the specific opportunities available and how to get involved. Here is a list of what is on offer at or through WHS. If you are currently not on the google classroom or mailing list, please email me to get involved: lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz. There is information and opportunities below for some sports.
Adventure Racing
Athletics
Cricket
Equestrian
Golf
Hockey - 6 aside Social
Mountain Biking
Rowing
Sailing
Sevens
Swimming
Tennis 
Touch
Volleyball

Mountain Biking
Development Mountain Biking Opportunity: are you a beginner/novice mountain biker that is keen to develop skills and learn how to ride your bike with confidence? This could be to begin to compete in secondary school events or just to enjoy the local trails more. Treadmark are offering a development programme targeted at riders at this level. Please click on the website link for more details: https://www.treadmark.co.nz/coaching

Touch
Touch Southland Term 4 Touch Module
Dates: Monday 18th October - Monday 13th December - no games Labour day - 8 weeks in total
Day and Time: Monday's. Games are between 6-8pm.
Location: Event Centre
Format: Students create their own teams and can enter into the mixed, mens or womens grade. 
More details and a team entry form can be found on the Social Touch google classroom or below. Entries close Monday Week 10.
Team Entry Form

Volleyball
WHS Junior Social Volleyball Competition
Dates: Term 3 Week 9 to Term 4 Week 6 - No volleyball Week 3 (Labour day) - 7 weeks total.
Days: Mondays - Boys. Tuesdays - Girls.
Location: WHS gym
Time: Sessions would take place in 45 minute slots directly after school. 15 minutes of skills, followed by a 30 minute game. The first session would start at 3:15pm and the final one would finish at 6:15pm, this is totally dependent on the number of students wanting to be involved. 
Cost: $25.00 
Format: Students will be placed into teams for the competition.
Entry Form

Laura Nathan 
Director of Sport

Arts News and Information

Success at the Lion Foundation Songwriting Competition
Congratulations to Billie Comer who has won the "2021 Lyric award" for her song "Dance with Me".

The Lion Foundation Songwriting Competition is part of the Play It Strange Trust. This national competition is open to all secondary-aged students and usually has well over 300 entries. There are three main awards: Best Song, Best Lyric and School of the Year.

Billie has had great success in the Play it Strange songwriting competitions this year BUT has gone one better in winning the overall Lyric Award which is extremely prestigious. 

Our Lyric Award judge this year was Play It Strange trustee Sonja Hawkins. She had this to say about Billie’s song; 'I choose this song because I felt a real beauty in the words, both in a literal sense and metaphorically. A story of living  life, overcoming struggles and love and companionship overriding.’

2022 Musical Auditions 
We are now seeking all students who would like to audition for the 2022 WHS musical. Please complete this form. All current WHS students are welcome to audition. No experience is needed. 

Cultural Blues Nominations
Nominations are now being taken for our Cultural Blues award. Nominations can be made on behalf of any WHS student who has achieved and/or contributed to a high level in any area of the Arts in 2021. The form can be found on the WHS website or below.

Cultural Blues Criteria
Cultural Blues Application Form

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

Queenstown Lakes Christmas Show Auditions Auditions: Saturday 30th October Ages 8-11: 1.00pm – 2:30 pm Ages 12-18: 3:00pm – 4:00pm Do you or do you know a young person who would be interested in auditioning for the 2021 Christmas Show!? Auditions are open to all children aged from 8-18 years. Complete the Audition Form through our Website

Michael Hempseed Workshops 2021

Suicide Prevention                               Sleep issues, anxiety and sensory issues

Mental Illness in Children                    De-escalation and Trauma

Michael Hempseed presented a sell-out workshop in Dunedin in March. He has received numerous requests to explore a number of these topics in more depth. He will be delivering three new workshops and a repeat of his suicide prevention workshop.

We are offering Teacher and Parent sessions. 

The workshops will cover the following topics

• Sleep issues, anxiety and sensory issues in Children 
• Mental Illness in Children
• De-escalation and Understanding Trauma and PTSD

Who should attend: Counsellors, youth and social workers, GPs, nurses, teachers, support workers.

Michael Hempseed is the author of the book Being A True Hero: Understanding and Preventing Suicide in Your Community.
https://www.beingatruehero.com/

Michael’s presentation style is laced with humour and heavily loaded with factual, real and present information. You may be a non-professional or an expert in your field, but we know you will walk away feeling armed with knowledge, hope and fully inspired.

Wednesday, 27th October

4pm - 6pm Teacher Session - Anxiety, sleep and Sensory issues in children (no cost)
7pm - 9pm - Parent Session - Anxiety, sleep and Sensory issues in children (no cost)

Venue: Cromwell Presbyterian Church, Elspeth Street, Cromwell

Thursday 28th October

4pm - 6pm Teacher  Session - Anxiety, sleep and Sensory issues in children (No cost)
7pm to 9pm - Parent Session - Anxiety, sleep and Sensory issues in children (No cost)

Venue: Wanaka Primary School Hall is the venue for all Wanaka sessions

Enquires to Amanda Greer, mandy@coreap.org.nz or phone 021 544 894

Hosted by Central Otago REAP and WellSouth